For a time on Friday, it looked as if the upcoming Republican presidential debate in Tampa might have a bit less impact than expected, amid news that top contender Mitt Romney hadn't agreed to appear and reports that the network had released the 9 p.m. timeslot to regular programming.

But the network announced today that the debate would take place as scheduled Monday, with Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul expected to attend the event, airing at 9 p.m. from the University of South Florida.

Gingrich, who has seen his standing in election polls rise amid strong debate performances, said Romney would be a "running joke" if he skipped Tampa's debate.

"Romney can’t claim that he’s prepared to debate Obama if he’s not prepared to debate Newt Gingrich," Gingrich said in a quote featured on the Tampa Bay Times Buzz blog on Florida politics. "So I’m confident he’ll be there Monday night."

"All four qualifying Republican presidential candidates have confirmed their attendance for Monday's NBC News, National Journal, Tampa Bay Times debate. Florida has often been the stage for history in politics -- we look forward to hosting a substantive and stimulating forum for the candidates to make their case to the voters in this crucial state and the whole country."

The NBC News, National Journal, Tampa Bay Times Republican Candidates Debate, in association with the Florida Council of 100, will take place on Monday, January 23 at 9:00pm ET at the University of South Florida. The debate will be moderated by NBC's Brian Williams and will include a panel with National Journal’s Beth Reinhard and the Tampa Bay Times’ Adam Smith.

This will be the first weekday primetime airing of a primary debate on a broadcast network in the 2012 election cycle. The event will air live on the NBC television network at 9pm ET / 8pm CT and on the west coast at 9pm PT, and will also stream live on nbcpolitics.com, nationaljournal.com, and tampabay.com. Telemundo will broadcast the debate in its entirety with simultaneous Spanish-language translation.

About the blog

The Feed is your source for television news, reviews and commentary. A group of Tampa Bay Times writers will blog about everything from their current TV obsessions to the changing TV/media landscape (binge-watching galore!). Let's all geek out over our favorite shows together.

As a wee TV fanatic, Times pop music critic Sean Daly first learned to tell time via Lee Majors classic "The Six Million Dollar Man." On family trips, instead of asking "Are we there yet?" he would inquire of his parents: "How many more Six's?" Thus, the concept of an hour. Adorable, right? Not nearly as cute: An adult Sean wears a Tigers hat not to support Detroit but because Tom Selleck wore one on "Magnum, P.I." It's sad really.

Michelle Stark is a Times writer, editor, designer and unabashed TV nerd. Her millennial TV-watching habits rely on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon instead of traditional cable, but she never misses her favorite shows, which include everything from Girls, Parenthood and New Girl to high-minded dramas like Mad Men and Homeland. She never met a reality dance show competition she didn’t like.

Sharon Kennedy Wynne is a Times writer and editor part of that first generation of toddlers raised on Sesame Street. Her TV tastes are eclectic. She's still a big fan of Sesame Street, but also darker fare like American Horror Story and Scandal. As our resident reality TV fan (though she's ashamed to admit it), she has complex theories on Survivor, Amazing Race and Big Brother strategies.